Potato-planter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. G. MGCONNELL. POTATO PLANTBR.

No. 394,596. Patented Deo. 18, 1888.

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Stmmue I N. PETERSv Phowlihognpher. Washingn. D4 C (No man.) 2 sheets-#sheen `2. T. G. MOGONNBLL.

PTATO PLANTER.

Patented Deo. 18, 1888 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GREGORY MCCONNELL, OF COLLINSVILLE, ILLINOIS.

' POTATO-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 394,596, dated December 18, 1888.

Application filed ign" 16, 1888. Serial No. 282,860. No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GREGORY MC- and is provided in its extremity with a downwardly-projecting pin, O, which is adapted to CONNELL, a citizen ot' the lInted States, reenter the potatoes, as will be hereinafter more 55 siding at Collinsville, in the county of Madifully referred to.

5 son and State of Illinois, have invented new P designates a comb secured on the upper and useful Improvements in Potato-Planters, side of the frame at the front end thereof and of which the following' is a specification. projectingx rearward over the upper end of the My invention relates to improvements in planting-tube Q. Thiscomb consists ot'asmall 6o potato planters; and it consists in certain block or casting having its rear edge provided io novel features hereinafter described and with a series of teeth, R. The planting-tube claimed. is composed ot' a flexible tube, S, and an open- In the annexed drawings, Figure l isaside ended hollow block, T, secured to the upper view of a potato-planter provided with my end of the tube S and affixed to the underside improvements, the near carrying-wheel being of the comb P, the teeth R of the comb being 15 removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a immediately over the upper end of the said side view showing the check-row operating block 'l`. mechanism, and Fig. l is a front view of the In the under side of the tonguel form a resanie. cess, I', in which is pivoted the upper end of 7o Referring to the drawings by leiter, A desthe front vertical arm ot' an L-shaped lever,

2o ignates the main frame, consistingI ot' a U- V, the longer horizontal arm of said lever shaped bar provided on its front end with the projecting rearward and having its end seears B, in which the tongue C is secured. The cured to a tubular standard, W, which reaXle D is mounted in suitable bearings, E, seceives the lower end of the flexible tube S cured to the lower sides ofthe main frame, and and has a shovel, X, secured to its lower end.

25 is provided with carrying-wheels F, one of On the rear side of this tubular standard, at which is secured rigidly to the end of the the lower end of the same, is formeda socket, axle. Y, in which is pivoted the front end ot a G designates a multiple cam-wheel secured fork, Z, a covering-roller, a, being jonrnaled 8o rigidly on the axle adjacent to one of the carin the rear free end of said fork and carried 3o rying-wheels, and H designates a lifter pivthereby.

oted to the side of the main frame in rear of l) designates small shovel-plows secured to said cam-wheel and project-ing over the same, the opposite sides of the tubular standard the under edge of said lifter resting on the and projecting rearward and downwardly said canrwheel and the front end ot the lifter therefrom. These plows are curved, as shown,

3 5 being turned downward and then forward and so as to engage the earth on the sides of the projecting under a pin, I, projecting laterally furrow and throw the same inward over the from the vertical arm of the picker. dropped potatoes.

` .I designates a vertical tube secured to the c designates a compound lever, which is ful- 9o outer side of the main frame in advance of crumed to the inner side of the main frame 4o the cam-wheel and forming a bearing for the and has its front end extending downward vertical arm K of the picker L. The outer from it-s fulcrum and then bent inward and side of this tube .I is provided with a vertical projecting under the L-shaped lever V. The slot, M, having its central portion curved uprear portion of this lever cprojects downward ward and rearward, so as to give the picker a and rearward under the axle, so as to clear 45 rotary motion as it moves up and down in the the same, and is then bent upward, as clearly said tube. The pin I on the vertical arm K shown, and provided at its extremity with a of the picker projects through this slot and small rearwardly-turned lip, d. normally rests on the front end of the lifter e designates a gravity latch or pawl, which loo H. The vertical arm K of the picker rests is pivoted to the side of the main frame and 5o loosely in the tube J, so as to move freely is provided at its upper end with a hook or therein, and a horizontal arm, N, extends inshoulder, f, which normally engages the lip d ward from the upper end of the vertical arm of the lever. The rear end of said lever is thus held depressed and its front end'is elevated, and the said front end, bearing against the under side of the lever V, consequently raises the said lever V and holds the tubular standard, the shovels, and the covering-roller off the ground when the machine is not in use as a planter or is being carried from ield to` field.

The drvers seat g is secured on a suitable standard, h, projecting upwardfrom 'a crossbar, i, secured to the main frame adjacent to the latch e and in rear of the hopper. The said hopper j is secured upon the main frame and is provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined bottom, k, and a trough, l, on its front side, forming a continuation of said inclined bottom. An opening,.m, is formed in the front side of the hopper to allow the potatoes to pass into the said trough.

In operation the potatoes are placed in the hopper, as will be readily understood, and the machine is then drawn over the ground. As the machine is drawn along, the carryingwheels will be revolved and the axles carried along with it, thereby rotating the cam-wheel. As the cam-wheel rotates, the points of the same will bear against the under edge of the lifter and raise the same, giving the front end of the lifter an upward vertical movement,v

causing it to strike against the pin on the picker, and thereby raise the said picker. When the picker is at its lowest position, its

horizontal arm projects over the trough on the front side of the hopper,-the pin on the inner end of the picker entering a potato in the trougln'so that the potato can be carried to the planting-tube. As the cam-wheel continues its rotation, the lifter will be lowered, so that the picker can drop by its own gravity. As the picker is raised, the slot in the vertical tube, acting on the pin 0n the picker, causes it to swing toward the planting-tube, carrying the potato thereto. The picker reaches the comb and the pin on its inner end enters the teeth of the comb just before the picker has reached the upper limit of its vertical movement, so that continued vertical movement will draw the pin through'the comb and release the potato therefrom. The potato then falls through the planting-tube and the tubular standard to the furrow, and is covered by dirt thrown thereon by the curved shovels and pressed by the covering-roller. Upon the downward movement of the picker the slot in the vertical tube causes the horizontal arm to swing over the trough and then be lowered, causing the pin on the end of said arm to pierce another potato and secure it to be planted. The picker is thus moved between the trough and the planting-tube continuously during the travel of the machine and the potatoes planted at regular intervals, and the said intervals may be made greater or less by. providing the cam-wheel with a larger or smallerL number of cam-faces, as will be readily understood:

The construction just described will be as shown.

found very desirable byl Vreason of its sim'- plicity; but -I- prefer the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. This mechanism is operated by a check-row wire, and consists of a rock-shaft, 2, journaled in the upper side of the main frame at the front end thereof and having its ends 3 carried past the carryingwheels and bentwlownward, as shown. The extremities of these downwardly-turned ends are shaped to form hooks n, through which f the check-wire passes. The downwardly-bent ends of the rock-shaft are further provided with lugs V0 adjacent to the hooks fn, and

levers p are pivoted on these lugs, the rear ends of said levers being adapted to contact with the hubs of the wheels, and the front ends being provided with an enlargement, q, A coiled spring, o', is arranged around this shaft and has its free end bearing on the main frame to hold the shaft vin its normal position, and the shaft is further provided with a rearwardly-extending arm, s, which projects under the pin O of the picker, as shown.

In operation the check-wire is stretched across the field in the usual manner and passed through the hook n, as will be readily understood. `As the machine is drawn along,

the knobs on the check-wire, striking against `the hooks, will tend to rotate the rock-shaft,

so as to cause the arm s to raise the picker, and the levers, striking against the hub of the carrying-wheels, will. release the knobs from the hooks when the plantin has been accomplished.

It will be understood, of course, that the pivoted lifter is dispensed with when the check-row mechanism is employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I cl( im, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In a potato-planter, the combination of the main frame, the hopper mounted thereon, the planting-tube carried by the main frame, a vertically-movable vibrating picker adapted to convey the potatoes from the hopperto the planting-tube, and mechanism for raising and vibrating said picker, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the main frame, of the hopper secured thereon, the horizontal comb secured to the main frame in advance of the hopper, the planting-tube depending from said comb, the horizontally-vibrating picker mounted on the side of the main frame and adapted to convey the potatoes from the hopper to the planting-tube and be engaged by the comb, and mechanism for vibrating said picker, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the main frame,

of the hopper mounted thereon, the planting-tube mounted on the main frame, the

vertical tube secured to the side of the mainV IOO IIO

with a pin projecting laterally through the cam-slot in the vertical tube, whereby when the vertical arm is raised the horizontal arm will be vibrated between the hopper and the planting-tube, and mechanism for raising the vertical arm, as set forth.

4L. The combination, with the main frame, of the hopper mounted thereon and having an inclined bottom and provided on its front side with a trough forming a continuation of said bottom, the comb secured to the main frame, the planting-tube depending from the comb, and the picker mounted on the side of the main frame and having a vibrating horizontal arm provided with a pin adapted to engage the potatoes in the trough and be engaged by the teeth of the comb, and mechanism for operating the picker, whereby it will be caused to convey the potatoes from the trough to the planting-tube, as setforth.

5. The combination of the main frame, the hopper mounted thereon,the planting-tube carried by the main frame, the vertical tube secured to the side of the main frame and having a cam-slot in its side, the picker mounted in said tube and having a lateral pin projecting through the cam-slot therein, and provided at its upper end with an inwardly-extending horizontal arm, the rockshaft journaled on the main frame and having an arm bearing against the under side of the pin on the picker, and mechanism for operating said shaft, whereby the picker will be raised and vibrated between the hopper and the planting-tube, as set forth.

The combination of the main frame, the tongue secured thereto and having a recess in its under side, the lever pivoted at its front end in said recess and extendingl rearward therefrom, the tubular standard secured to the rear end of said lever, the shovels secured to the opposite sides of said standard, the lifting-lever pivoted to one side of the main frame and having its front end bent laterally and projecting under the lever pivoted to the tongue, and the latch pivoted at the rear end of the main frame and engagingthe rear end of the lifting-lover, as set forth.

7 The combination, with the main frame, of t-he hopper mounted thereon, the planting-tube carried by the main frame, the vertical tube secured to the main frame and having a cam-slot in its outer side, the picker mounted in said tube and having a pin projecting through the slot therein, and the rock-shaft journaled on the main frame and adapted to engage said pin, as set forth.

8. The combination, with the main frame, of the hopper mounted thereon, the planting-tube carried thereby, the picker mounted on the frame and adapted to convey the potatoes from the hopper to the planting-tube, the rock-shaft jonrnaled on the main frame and adapted to operate the picker and having its ends bent downward and provided with hooks, and the levers pivoted to said ends and having their rear end bearing against the h ubs of the carrying-Wheels and their front ends enlarged and extending in front of the said hooks, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS GREGORY MUCONNELL.

\Viti1esses:

EDWIN TAYLOR, LoUis KNICHEL. 

